“Maximum Overdrive” in 1986 would find King directing for the first time, adapting his short story “Trucks.” The movie starred Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Yeardley Smith and Frankie Faison and was set over several days in which Earth passes through the tail of a comet. Over those days, machines come to life and wreak havoc on society. It also featured a small role with a very young Giancarlo Esposito (“Revolution”) and a nice, loud soundtrack by AC/DC.

The movie was shot on U.S. 74/76, where a truck stop was built for the film. It has been said that real truckers would stop there mistaking it for a real gas depot and truck stop. It was also a film that began Eric Skipper’s careerin the movie industry, taking his love for building models and creating them for the movie. Skipper would go on to work on King’s “Golden Years” and other films such as “The Crow” and “Super Mario Bros.”

“Maximum Overdrive” was panned during its release but plays better now. You can see the influence of George Romero’s work on the film’s gorier scenes and King even pops up early in a scene shot in downtown Wilmington. For years, the Green Goblin head from the film’s main villain truck was by DEG’s front gate area.

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“Golden Years” ran as a television show in 1991 about a janitor named Harlan who works in a

secret laboratory and comes into contact with chemicals that make him younger. Harlan becomes a fugitive once the government discovers his newfound youth and wants to study him. The show aired on CBS and lasted for less than 10 episodes.

King loves a challenge, and is always interested in new ways to write, whether it’s the serial novel “The Green Mile” or even penning a column for Entertainment Weekly. “Golden Years” was his first foray into series television but would continue with “Kingdom Hospital.”

“The Night Flier” (1997) was based on a King short story and starred Miguel Ferrer as a tabloid journalist named Richard Dees. Dees is investigating a serial killer dubbed The Night Flier who travels airport-to-small-airport in a Cessna aircraft, killing people. Based on the murders, Dees believes the killer to possibly be, or to think that they are, a vampire. Like “Overdrive” King set the film in Wilmington. A low budget film, it’s one of the better King adaptations.

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“Under the Dome” is set to start shooting in February for a June premiere on CBS. It tells a story, one King tried returning to for years, about a town sealed off by a large dome. It was first published in 2009.

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So if King shows up in town by chance and you see him at a local watering hole tell him thanks for writing “Firestarter” and wish his Red Sox well.

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About This Blog

Hi! My name is Hunter Ingram and I’m the film/TV reporter for StarNews Media. I will be the primary blogger for WilmonFilm, but other staffers, including Community Engagement Editor Jeff Hidek and freelance reporter Brian Tucker, are likely to contribute from time to time.

With this blog, I aim to be Southeastern North Carolina’s go-to source for all things film and TV. Wilmington and its surrounding areas are rich with intriguing projects, from the big-budget blockbusters to the small-scale, high-impact independent films. I will post everything from breaking news to offbeat features that will cover every facet of the entertainment news emerging from the area. So bookmark this page and be on the lookout every day for new posts!

While we may be hard at work reporting on the stories we get, we also want your tips, reactions and ideas. Got a story idea that is itching to be heard? E-mail or call me! Want to say something about a post? Leave a comment.